Battle of Uhud

The Battle of Uhud occurred on 23 March 625 when the 700-strong Muslim army of Muhammad was brought to battle by Abu Sufyan's 3,000-strong Quraysh army at Mount Uhud in Arabia. The Muslims nearly won the battle, but their insistence on looting Quraysh spoils led to a crushing defeat and the deaths of many sahabah (Muhammad's close companions).

Background
The Battle of Badr in 624 was an epoch-making event, signalling the rise of Islam with Muhammad at its helm. The Muslims gained power with each successful caravan raid and expedition, and Muhammad amassed an army of 700 troops. The pagan Quraysh ruler of Mecca, Abu Sufyan, was furious at Abu Jahl's insubordination, which had led to his death at Badr; Abu Sufyan decided to spend every gold coin in his treasury on hiring more troops. On 23 March 625, his 3,000-strong army attacked the Muslims at the mountain of Uhud.

Battle
The Muslims marched to fight the approaching enemy, and Muhammad instructed Malek ibn Jahm and a group of Muslim warriors to never leave the hill of Uhud whether the Muslims were winning or losing the battle. In the battle, Muhammad's uncle Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib was impaled by a javelin thrown by Wahshi ibn Harb, and Muhammad himself was hit in the head by a rock. The Muslims seemed to be winning (albeit a pyrrhic victory) when the Muslims on the hill disobeyed Muhammad's orders and joined the battle to help in the fight, letting Khalid ibn al-Walid lead a flank attack with cavalry around the undefended hill. For every one Quraysh soldier killed, four Muslims had died, and the battle was a disastrous defeat. However, the Muslims were happy that Muhammad had survived, and the cause was not quite extinguished yet.

Aftermath
The battle was a setback for the Muslims, who had lost many of their sahabah (Muhammad's companions) and several soldiers. However, Abu Sufyan was angry that Muhammad had survived, and there were no celebrations from him after the battle. The Muslim army shouted "Alhamdulillah" (God wills it) multiple times after finding out that Muhammad had survived, and they would strike back at the Battle of the Trench.